1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a folding knife and, more particularly, to a low friction, assisted opening folding knife.
2. Prior Art
It has become somewhat common in the folding knife industry to have some type of assisted opening mechanism within the structure of the knife. Typically, these assisted opening mechanisms includes a spring that is in contact with or attached to the tang of the knife blade and affixed to the interior of the handle of the blade. An example of such an opening mechanism is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,145,202 issued to Onion. Onion discloses a mechanism located within the handle that communicates with the blade and provides positive assistance for opening and closing of the blade. The mechanism generally includes a bias element in communication with an arcuate slot in the tang of the blade. Each embodiment discloses a relatively complicated spring which would require precision bending while the arcuate slot required in the tang of the blade and the spring housing cavity in the handle would require precision machining. Additionally, the movement along the blade and in the arcuate slot will eventually cause galling, wear and friction on the blade.
Another example is U.S. Pat. No. 5,802,722 issued to Maxey et al. which discloses a similar spring mechanism that again travels within a slot in the tang of the blade. Over time the spring may require replacement or may no longer travel smoothly within the tang of the blade due to galling and wear making the knife either expensive to repair or useless with regard to the assisted opening feature.
There is a need for a folding knife that is safe, has an assisted opening feature, and is essentially frictionless. This folding knife must be thereby resistant to galling and wear, yet simplistic in design for cost effective manufacturing and assembly.